“Now thus says the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name: thou art mine.”
These good words from Isaiah to Judah and Israel are true for us in Jesus Christ. I think, like me, you probably need some encouragement. Here are the words of encouragement: First, we were created by God: “For thus saith the Lord that created thee.” We are not an accident of history. According to the biblical creation narrative, we are God’s masterpiece. If you will think of the intricacies of the human body, you can see why. The Christ who created you knows you and loves you. Second, the message of “fear not” is a word of encouragement. With of all of the negative news that we have heard and seen over the last few months, this is, indeed, a word of encouragement. We don’t have to be afraid because God is with us. His presence is enough to alleviate our fears. (Read Psalm 23:4.) Third, this is a message of redemption: “For I have redeemed thee.” “Redeemed” is a word that we get from ancient slave markets. The “redemption price” was the cost to buy freedom from slavery. Jesus died on the cross as the “redemption price” for our souls. We can live in the freedom of the forgiveness of sins, and can look forward to eternity with Jesus in heaven. Now, isn’t that encouraging!!!! Fourth, we are in God’s family: “For I have called thee by thy name..” When Jesus redeemed us by our faith in Him, He took us into His family and He knows us by name. There are probably some famous people that you would like to be on a first name basis with, well, the Lord has called us by name. That should be famous enough to encourage us. In John 10:14, Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep and am known of mine.” What a great promise!!! Think of it, the God of the universe knows our names. In fact, He knows everything about us and still loves us. Come on, get encouraged, for if you know Jesus, your name is written in heaven and He knows your name. Fifth, we are God’s possessions: “…thou art mine…” Most men probably were amazed when their wives would have them, well the God of the universe claims us as His. Of course, you know that we have Jesus to thank for that blessing; I think that you will agree that this verse has given us some great reasons to be encouraged. So, come on and get encouraged. Do it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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